The Florida basketball team has been one of the top in the country all season long. As a reward, the Gators earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament field with Houston, Duke and Auburn being the other No. 1 seeds. Florida defeated Tennessee in the SEC tournament title game, and now Todd Golden’s team embarks on a March Madness run in hopes of a Final Four trip.
While many experts have picked Florida to win the whole thing, including several ESPN analysts, there are some concerns regarding a potential run.
Not a great road for Florida
A year ago, Florida was a No. 7 seed and lost a heartbreaker to No. 10 Colorado in the Round of 64. This time, being a No. 1 seed makes things a bit easier. In the Round of 64, Florida faces Norfolk State in a game that should be the Gators to win, barring a shocking result.
After that, there are some problematic bumps in the road. Florida would have to face the winner of UConn-Oklahoma in the Round of 32. So, in theory, there is a chance that Florida will take on the back-to-back defending NCAA champion if UConn tops Oklahoma.
If Oklahoma wins, that means Florida faces a familiar SEC foe, although the Gators topped the Sooners in the only matchup between the two back on February 18.
Digging deeper into the West Region shows teams including No. 7 Kansas, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 3 Texas Tech and even No. 11 Drake, who is a Cinderella team, that could get in the way of a Florida Final Four trip.
Of course, St. John’s and Rick Pitino are the No. 2 seed, but that matchup wouldn’t happen until the Elite Eight.
Still, a Round of 32 matchup against either UConn or Oklahoma is not a promising one whichever way the cookie crumbles.
Is the SEC overrated?
The SEC set a record with 14 (!!) teams making the NCAA Tournament. Yes, the SEC has a lot of talent, although the biggest question is whether or not the conference is overrated. The first weekend will give a strong indication of that answer, and it will be interesting to see how many SEC teams make the Sweet 16.
Still, Florida has dominated the SEC this year, finishing with a 14-4 record with only two losses since February 1. The Gators’ losses in SEC play have come against Kentucky, Missouri (by one), Tennessee and Georgia with three of those on the road.
Still, there are some thoughts that the SEC isn’t as good as everybody thinks, so maybe the SEC record can be taken with a small grain of salt.
Florida’s recent March madness success is not encouraging
This is just Golden’s third year in Gainesville and the second straight NCAA Tournament trip. However, it is worth noting that the recent March Madness trips for Florida have not gone too well.
Florida dramatically fell to Colorado last season in a tough 7-10 game. In 2021, Florida fell to No. 15 Oral Roberts, lost to Michigan in 2019, and lost to Texas Tech in 2018, all of which came in the Round of 32.
Florida’s last time getting past the first weekend came in 2016, so it’s been almost a decade since they got to wear Sweet 16 shirts. Can this be the year? Only time will tell, but a difficult Round of 32 matchup could put an end to Florida’s Final Four hopes.
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